PRZ Next 2027 Watchlist Vol. 2 – Colorado Updated Watchlist

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The PRZ Next 2027 Watchlist has officially been updated as of March 29th, 2023. To view the entire list, click&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/next/players-to-watch/2027-watch-list/">here</a></strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volume 2 of the biggest pre-high school prospect list in the nation contains nearly 1,100 class of 2027 prospects. Following the release of Volume 1 on October 31st, 2022, PRZ Next has continued to do our best to find the top middle school prospects in each state across the country.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Let us be 100% crystal clear: This is NOT the final list.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are adding new prospects every day, behind the scenes. The list will be updated&nbsp;<strong>TWO MORE TIMES</strong>&nbsp;this off-season, with new athletes becoming visible on the Watchlist in late June and August. The final list will be released in mid-August, as these athletes are set to begin their high school careers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unlike the high school level, there are no official stats or national database of middle school football players or teams, like MaxPreps does for high school. There is also no obligation to film games or post them to film-sharing platforms, like Hudl. While we stand firmly by our Watchlist, it is important to understand that these very early looks can &amp; will change drastically.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>We aren't sleeping on you. We may not have even seen you, yet.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the explosion of social media and recruiting efforts ramping up earlier than ever before, there are literally tens of thousands of middle school prospects out there to evaluate.&nbsp;<strong>We're never going to see every prospect</strong>–but we we will do our best as always. The Hall of Fame misses on NFL greats. GMs in the NFL miss on college prospects. Colleges miss on high school All-American's. We may miss on the eighth-grade level — it happens. However, we use our years of expertise and judgement on eighth-grade talent we see live and on film. We do our homework by talking to coaches and researching the ability of athletes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>“But I'm ranked on ABC site &amp; I got invited to play in the XYX camp/game</strong>.<strong>&nbsp;How am I not on your list?</strong>“</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the pre-high school level, if you're willing to pay enough money, you will find someone to call your 2027 prospect an “all-American” or get “invited” to some event. Prior to high school, football as a whole, is not set up well enough to truly find all the top kids. There will always be invites and all-American games, but that does not factor into our decision-making at all. Film and in-person scouting will trump any invites or titles a prospect may receive/earn/buy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>So why does the Prep Redzone Next 2027 Football Prospect list matter?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just look at the previous results. This list matters because it is the deepest, most-heavily scrutinized and far-and-away most accurate national list you will find anywhere, on the middle school level. National Scouting Director, Al “Pops” Popadines has been evaluating talent on the middle school level since 2010 and has been on the forefront of early-prospect identification. Pops' list of athletes identified as middle schoolers, includes dozens of athletes that are now in the NFL and several thousand that have gone on to play/are currently playing at the college level. Names like Bryan Bresee of Clemson and Quinn Ewers of Texas, made the list as eighth-graders and both eventually became the No.1 player in their recruiting class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Finally, Here's a look at the Updated Colorado Class of 2027 Watchlist</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["652497"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Alijah is a very impressive tri-sport athlete who has the athleticism to compete at any sport at a very high level. He is a crispy route runner who can get in and out of breaks in a flash. Alijah also has steady feet which makes it easy for him to have strong and fast routes. With his impressive set of hands, Alijah catches the ball naturally. Alijah has a very unique set of skills that already has him set to be one of the premier athletes in Colorado.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["557706"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Colton is quickly making a name for himself in the class of 2027. He has a big 6'3 frame that can be impossible to defend when he is out on routes. With him being a big play machine, he is going to be a huge piece of whatever offense he joins in the future. If he continues to follow this trajectory, I wouldn't be surprised to see him follow the same path as his brother, who plays defensive end at UCLA.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["705785"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Karson is a gifted wideout who is a proven playmaker on either side of the ball. At wideout, Karson has the speed and explosion to blow through and coverage he faces. With him being able to work a variety of different get-offs at the line, Karson can break off from man coverage before opposing defensive backs even have a chance. Overall, Karson has a huge upside with the capability of being a gamechanger for any program he is competing for.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["691219"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='691219' first='Mason' last='Miller'] is a wideout who I have covered before and continues to impress me with what he can do. With an outstanding combine performance in early March, Mason has shown that he has all of the skills that you need to be a standout reciever. Mason also competes at a very high level at basketball, and has proven to be be able to dunk when he is on the court. Miller is a standout athlete who can do it all in sports, look for him to continue to turn some heads as he makes the jump to the high school level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["684642"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Sawyer is a game-changing trench warrior who can absolutely dominate when he is on the field. At defensive line, Sawyer has an explosive edge about him that gives him an advantage as soon as the ball is snapped. Sawyer has the speed to close the gap on the ball carrier and rack up tackles for loss in the process. From everything that I have seen, Sawyer has huge upside portential. Look for him to do big things as a member of the Regis Jesuit football program.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["556692"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='556692' first='Troy' last='Mailo'] is an impressive all-around athlete who can play pretty much anything on the football field. With a big-time performance at the Polynesian Bowl Combine, Troy has verified speed and explosion that is unmatched at this level. On the football field, Troy plays with a high level of speed and physicality that makes him dangerous as a tight end. Overall, Troy has a very impressive set of skills. The state of colorado better watch out for him as he makes his way through the high school ranks.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-642afc8d16eaa"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The prospects listed above, join the Colorado 2027 prospects that were already on the 2027 PRZ Next National Watchlist from October.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489583' first='Braylen' last='Lumbus']</strong> | Running Back</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480317' first='Cain' last='Brackney']</strong> | Linebacker</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480318' first='Cash' last='Williams']</strong> | Quarterback</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='487658' first='Dominic' last='Petrocco']</strong> | Offensive Line</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480216' first='Kye' last='Crump'] </strong>| Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480299' first='Noah' last='Lucero']</strong> | Wide Receiver</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->